Cedar Rapids
by schoolsout4summer
Summary: The story of two best friends on a cross country road trip. But Cedar Rapids changes it all. M. School's Out For Summer Contest Entry


TwiGirlsNextDoor School's Out For Summer contest

Pairing if Applicable: Edward/Bella

Title: Cedar Rapids

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Really. I don't.

Brief Summary: The story of two best friends on a cross country road trip. But Cedar Rapids changes it all. M.

* * *

><p>"Congratulations class of 2011. We did it!" Jessica squealed, and on that note, the entire Forks High School class turned their tassels from the right side of the cap to the left, signifying their commencement into the next part of their lives. While I did the same, I couldn't help but think how cheesy Jess' last words had been. But this was graduation... didn't everything have to be cheesy? Some people tossed their caps, but I left mine on. I didn't want to lose the cap that said Hi Dad on it. It was just too damn funny.<p>

My graduating class left their seats and filed out of the auditorium, meeting their families outside for pictures. I hugged my father and my mother, and even my step dad. I was just happy to be out of this place. Forks hadn't been the kindest to me, but it did give me a kick ass best friend.

Rosalie whisked me away from my parents, promising to bring me back in a moment, just so she could take picture after picture of us smiling and holding our diplomas and caps.

"Have you packed yet?" asked Rose in an undertone when her parents were distracted by the camera. Not that they didn't know we were going on a road trip, they just didn't really approve. I nodded silently. "Good. A nice bathing suit, regular summer clothes? Shorts, shirts, maybe a cardi or two?" she clarified. "Yeah," I answered.

After that, my day was uneventful. Famjam at the local restaurant for a nice graduation dinner, then I had to go home and sleep. My parents had gotten me a camera for graduation so I could "capture all the moments in my life and never forget them." Sure, whatever. I could also make a porno on it, but who would think of that other than my twisted self? No one.

Then next morning, I was awoken by a loud alarm. Six am. I dressed quickly and kissed my father goodbye. My mom was off somewhere at some hotel, so whatever. I left the house, and hopped into Rosalie's new white Ford Escape, admiring it when I finally shut the door behind me. Rosalie zoomed out of my driveway, and we were soon on the open road.

"HAPPY FUCKING GRADUATION BITCHES!" I called out the window, snickering. It was six am, there was no one to hear me make a fool of myself. Rosalie laughed as well. We had two destinations in mind; Bloomington, Indiana, where Rose would be attending Indiana University in the fall, and Atlanta, Georgia, namely Emory, the university I would be going to. Both were extremely far away, so we had to make some stops along the way.

Rosalie took the first leg of the drive, and we switched after about four hours of driving. We continued like this until nightfall, and both of us were too worn out to continue anymore. We checked into a nearby hotel, and passed out as soon as our heads hit the pillows.

The next day was much the same. We spent hours driving, singing along to songs, listening to books on tape such as Harry Potter (so we would be prepared for the final movie to come out, duh). When one tape was finished, I decided to talk to my car mate. After all, we were best friends, so we should talk, right?

"I have some expectations of this trip," I announced, turning down the volume of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Rosalie glanced over at me for a moment, then her eyes returned to the road.

"Oh yeah? Enlighten me."

"Well, I expect us to break down, then try to hitchhike, then get picked up by some sexy motherfuckers who are going to the same universities as us. And sleep with said sexy motherfuckers."

"Well, you sure got your plan set," said Rosalie, rolling her eyes. I nodded firmly. "I think we can manage the sexy motherfuckers part, but I don't want my baby to break down." Rose patted the dash on her car. She loved cars. Like seriously, she was obsessed. She worked in her father's car shop restoring old cars, and she knew everything about them. Some lucky dude was out there for her, one who could take her icy attitude like me. Then they would realize that she was really awesome and knew stuff about cars and it would be a match made in heaven.

Rose and I weren't too popular in school. You would expect better from the blond haired blue eyed goddess that she was, but people were scared to approach her. I was pretty much the only one not afraid of her. Having her as a best friend... well it was picturesque to me. I needed Bella time, and Rosalie needed Rose time, so we both knew when to leave each other alone. It was like we were in tune with each other, being able to sense the other's emotions. We had a small group of friends, and we were happy. We would go out, get drunk and hook up with random guys. But we both knew when too far was too far. Which is why we were both proud owners of the v-card. But this trip was about giving it up, cause college was on the way. We wanted to know what it was like.

One of our friends, Alice, told us she had a good feeling about this trip. That we would find something that would complete us. She was due to come on the trip with us, that is until her parents threw her into a mental hospital because she could sort of see the future. Bitchy, right?

We were just merging onto I-15 N when my stomach started to feel weird. We had a few snacks in the back, but I felt sick. "Pull over," I demanded weakly, and almost fell out of the car in my desperation to get out. There wasn't much around except for chaparral, but the side of the highway seemed to be the perfect place to puke my guts out. At least, that's what my body thought.

Fifteen solid minutes of retching later, I meekly made my way back into Rosalie's car. "No puking or I'll kill you," she warned, patting me gently on one of my clammy hands. I couldn't answer- I just blasted the AC on my face and rolled down my window. I didn't care if I was wasting energy, I'd rather not be sick again.

Thankfully, Rose took pity on me and we stopped for the night sooner than we would have liked. Special circumstances called for it though. We pulled into an inn in Billings, Montana. At the room, I knew Rosalie wasn't tired, and demanded she go out and have a little fun. Looking sheepish, she agreed, and I curled up in a ball on the bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, I felt remarkably better. I choked down an apple, then insisted on driving. I managed to get us into South Dakota before nearly passing out from fatigue. I crawled into the backseat, and let Rose take the wheel.

When I awoke, it was still light outside, but the light was fading. The car had stopped. I noticed Rosalie in the front seat, unbuckling, looking like the dead. We had stopped at a Hampton Inn, and when we went to the front desk, one look at Rose had me booking a room with two double beds. I paid, and they gave me two room keys. Luggage in tow, Rosalie and I headed to the room. She collapsed on the bed and was immediately asleep, but I was wide awake from having slept in the car for so long.

I putzed around for a bit, learning that we had stopped in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Shit. Rosalie had driven like, 700 miles, and I had slept through all of it. What an awesome friend. I promised myself that I would make it up to her tomorrow.

There was nothing interesting on TV, so I changed into my swimsuit, and wandered down to the pool. It was an indoor pool and there was a huge jacuzzi. Naturally, I gravitated towards the warm water and jets, slipping in. There were only a few people here, so I didn't feel too weird. I closed my eyes and let the jets work on my stressed back.

So obviously, my trip sounds a little boring up to this point, yeah? Besides the whole emptying the contents of my stomach onto the side of the road bit. Singing along to songs in the car, talking to my best friend, puking and slightly skeezy cheap hotels. I had taken some pictures of the road and our surroundings and some of Rose driving, but not much besides that. I guess Cedar Rapids changed it all.

First of all, the Hampton Inn was much nicer (and more expensive) than the other stops we had taken for the night. And the second thing that made Cedar Rapids different literally poked me in the shoulder.

I must have been drifting off or something, because when my eyes fluttered open, big blue ones met them, concern written in the eyes. I started, and the eyes moved away. I got a good look at the huge hulk of a man. He had curly black hair and dimples in his cheek due to the warm smile he wore on his face.

"Muttering in your sleep a common pastime?" he asked, smirking at me. I glared back at him, then realized he was joking. Deciding that I wanted a change in the direction of my trip, my eighteen year old shy self broke out of it's shell.

"Only with attractive people around," I responded coyly. Then, I realized that might be the completely wrong thing to say, that I would come off as a complete creep, but the dude just laughed. "Fantastic," he said, shaking his head slightly. "I'm Emmett, and you, sleep talker, are?"

"Bella." I felt my cheeks burning as I introduced myself. "So, what brings you to Cedar Rapids?" I asked, trying to make amends from my earlier weird moment.

"Coming back from visiting my Gran in Des Moines. I'm here with my younger bro, he got sick in the car though so he's up in the room sleeping. At least, he has been for the past six hours. I bet he'll be down soon," said Emmett with a shrug. "What about you?"

"Me and my best friend are roadtripping to our respective universities in the fall."

"Really? Where from and to?"

"Well, we're from this little town in Washington called Forks. It's all green and shrubbery and cold water, but it's alright. We're a few hours from Seattle. And Rose, my best friend, is going to Indiana and I'm going to Emory in Atlanta," I explained, feeling comfortable around this big lug of a man. If I had been conscious to see him enter the pool room, I would have totally freaked. He was huge, but just a big teddy bear.

"No way, Indiana University in Bloomington?" asked Emmett. "The very same," I replied. "B-town is the best. I go there, I'm going to be a sophomore. The sports there are unbelievable. I was a second string wide receiver for the football team last year. Then I tore my ACL and I'm into sports medicine now."

"That sucks, but sounds interesting. Rose is a Dance major. I'm majoring in International Relations. Parlez-vous francais?" Emmett laughed.

"French? Impressive. Little Ed takes French. Actually, he's minoring in it. Little shit hopes to live in France one day."

"I love French. I placed into a junior level class, and I was so proud of myself. It's just such a wonderful language," I said happily.

"Hells Bells, that's going straight over my head. Luckily, I see my brother now. Creeping outside, trying to silently ask me if it's okay if he interrupts our hang sesh." Emmett nodded to the glass door, and I looked over my shoulder. What I saw took my breath away.

Emmett's brother wasn't super hot or bulky like his brother. Instead, he was lean and beautiful. He had weird coppery hair that stuck up everywhere. His face flushed red as he noticed Emmett and I looking at him, and I couldn't help but smile. He was really beautiful.

So Little Ed, as Emmett called him, slid his key into the lock and entered the pool room. As he got closer, I realized that he got sexier with every step. Shit, if my suit wasn't already soaked from being in the jacuzzi, it sure would be now. Like his brother, Little Ed was muscular, but not as obviously as his brother. More... toned. As he approached, I noticed that he had eyes as green as Forks. His jaw was so sharp and strong, it could have cut cheese or something. Mmm, cheese. Wisconsin could be our next stop...

Little Ed was doing things to my noodle. I was thinking about cheese, and I didn't even like it that much. Before I could recuperate, he was sliding into the jacuzzi next to me. So I was in a sandwich of brotherly love. There was a slightly awkward silence where I realized Little Ed wasn't about to start a conversation with me, and Emmett was smirking so hardcore I knew I wouldn't get a word out of him. So I turned to Little Ed.

"So, I hear you speak French?" I started hesitantly, trying to keep my eyes trained on his. I noticed that there was a ring of gold around his pupil and I just about died. He looked over at me and gave me this innocent but sexy half smile.

"Yeah, seven years. I'm minoring in French when I start at UMich in the fall. Bio major. Are you going to University?" Holy shit, if I didn't die just looking at him, hearing his melodious voice would have done me in. I must have looked like a stupid fish as I tried to answer, and Little Ed grinned at me. Blushing, I shut my mouth, and heard Emmett chuckle from my other side.

"Yes. I start at Emory in the fall. In Atlanta. International Relations," I stated in short and precise sentences.

"Oh, cool. I'm Edward by the way."

"Bella."

After that, conversation flowed easily between the three of us. Mostly, Edward and I talked, and Emmett put his two cents in every here and there. I discovered that Edward was my age, and the pair were from a little town called Jasper, Indiana. They had a slight southern accent that was adorable. I quickly learned that people from Indiana are some of the nicest.

"I'm hungry," Emmett wailed after a bit. Edward and I shared a laugh, and I found myself attracted even more to him, intellectually and physically.

"Why don't we meet for dinner somewhere? I've never been around here before, but what do you two suggest?" Emmett and Edward exchanged a glance and replied in sync, "Olive Garden." I laughed, and we agreed to meet at the one within walking distance in an hour. I bid them adieu, and left the pool area, returning to Rose with a big grin on my face.

"Well, someone looks happy," she groaned after I woke her up by unceremoniously jumping on her bed. "What time is it?"

"Around five thirty, central time. I know you're tired, but we should eat. I met some really nice guys at the pool, I told them we'd meet for dinner." Rose nodded, looking at me knowingly.

"So, Bella, do they fall into your sexy motherfuckers category?" I blushed and nodded. "Well Hells Bells, you were busy while I was dead to the world. Take a quick shower, you look repulsive," she said disapprovingly. I stuck my tongue out at Rose, but did as she asked.

Rose and I walked into the Olive Garden exactly one hour and three minutes later. I immediately spotted the mess of auburn hair that was Edward, and pulled Rose towards it. We took seats next to each other, across from the boys in the booth.

"This is my best friend-"

"Rose," Rose cut across me, smiling winningly at Emmett. He returned the grin, and I knew his attention would be focused on her for the night. Rolling my eyes, Edward and I delved into another conversation, this time about sports. I learned he played basketball in high school, but decided to drop it, considering he would be focusing on his classes. He loved swimming, something he shared with me.

"I'm playing water polo at Emory," I stated proudly. I was sort of a klutz on land, often tripping over my own feet, but that shit went away as soon as I hit the water. Practically living on the beach in northern Washington will do that to ya.

But the best part about Edward was that he loved chocolate. I almost choked on my cutlet when he said that. "No fucking way. I think it's meant to be." I didn't really mean to say that, but chocolate was just... it was chocolate. I loved it more than I loved anything in the world. Even Rosalie. It was always there for me when I needed it (though I tried not to need it too much). Chocolate was so sweet and rich and reliable, who couldn't love it.

Edward laughed. "Yeah, it's always there for me when I need it. So reliable. I don't care if I sound like a chick on PMS, it's fucking amazing," he stated, grinning at me. I nodded slowly, reverently.

I couldn't really speak after that, too blown away by our connection through chocolate. The bill was paid, by the boys because they insisted, and right before we left, I remembered the camera in my purse. I called for everyone to stop, and snapped a picture of the boys alone, then one of all four of us. Then I decided it was okay to depart and we left the restaurant. Not wanting to part, we headed to the boys room, where Emmett ordered two bottles of wine with his father's card.

Three hours and two bottles later, we were feeling the alcohol. I mean, Rose and I had done our share of drinking and while we weren't drunk by any means, we were good and tipsy with the numb lips. Emmett had cracked Rose's cool demeanour, and they were chatting happily about cars, snuggled up together against the pillows on the king sized bed that the two boys shared. Edward and I sat on the floor against the bed, finishing off the last of the wine. I was giggling and he was just smiling like he owned the fucking world.

"You're so pretty," I said finally, grinning stupidly. Edward let out a belly laugh. "You're funny!" he exclaimed, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me into his chest. I fell onto his lap and realized it was quite comfortable, so I didn't move from there. Well, I did turn around so I could look at his pretty tree eyes.

"Your eyes remind me of home," I said fondly. "There are lots of trees in Forks."

"You live in Forks?" asked Edward, looking a little surprised. I nodded, feeling a little clearer now that this topic seemed to be more serious. "My cousin lives there. You might know him... Jasper Whitlock?" My eyes widened. I sure knew Jasper Whitlock. I'd had a huge crush on him from the eighth to eleventh grades. He had a mane of white blond hair and dazzling grey blue eyes and a great tan. He was originally from Texas, and still had a southern accent. Last year, we started hooking up, but then we realized that we just weren't for each other. Instead, he found his soul mate in Alice, our insane little fortune teller best friend. Which I was totally cool with.

"He's dating a friend of mine," I revealed. Edward nodded, grinning. I sat up, and shifted so that we were looking at each other. Edward looked at me searchingly, as if he was looking into my very soul.

"You know, I do recall him telling me about this one girl he'd really liked. Since he'd moved there. Pretty brown hair and eyes like chocolate ice cream. He told me every time he saw her he wanted to sing 'Brown Eyed Girl' to her..." Edward trailed off, and I remembered that when Jasper and I had been together, he had taken out his acoustic guitar and played an acoustic rendition of the Van Morrison song. "Said her name was Bella Swan. The Bella was fitting but said she was ungraceful as shit." Edward stopped. "It was you." The blush on my cheeks was all he needed to confirm.

"Then we realized it just wasn't right and moved on," I whispered, torn by what I was feeling. So I had been practically in love with Jasper for so many years, and he had returned the feelings, but never acted on it. Everything could have happened sooner, and how would things be different? I didn't want to think about how things could have been. I wanted to know how things were. So on impulse, I leaned forward and kissed Edward straight on his perfect lips. He seemed too surprised to even move, and I pulled away.

"But it's over now. And I like you a lot, because you're smart and you like chocolate and you're pretty and you speak French." Edward laughed.

"Jasper failed to mention just how beautiful you were. And how intelligent as well. And that you like chocolate," he answered with a wink. Then he brought his face to mine for another kiss.

My teeth gently grazed his bottom lip, my tongue desperate to get a taste of his. His mouth opened, and I got that first sweet taste that was just pure Edward. His hands were everywhere, in my hair, sliding along my arms, tickling my back. For just a moment, I heard the din of the TV mingled with Rose and Emmett laughing, but then I was too focused on Edward, caught up in everything that he was.

I knew what I wanted. He was my sexy motherfucker, even if was just for a night. I pulled away from him, albeit grudgingly. Edward didn't look too happy about it either.

"Separation anxiety?" I asked snarkily, giggling some. Edward glared at me, then moved in for another kiss. I put my hand up to stop him. I stood up rather clumsily, and helped Edward up. We looked towards Emmett and Rosalie, who were just staring at each other. I cleared my throat, and they looked up. "We're going to head back to our room, Rose. Text me if you're coming back. If I don't respond..." I raised my brows meaningfully, warning her to never fucking text me and that she better like Emmett enough to stay here or face the sounds of a romp in the sack. Because that was my plan for the night.

Fuck best friends, I needed to get laid.

Alright, so I did love Rosalie, but both of us understood each other. She gave me a soft bye, and Emmett waved to Edward and I before we left. Up two flights in the elevator, then fumbling with my room key. The whole time, Edward looked like he was going to bust out laughing. When I finally found my room key and dropped it, the flood gates opened.

I quickly bent and collected my card, then glared at Edward with my hands on my hips as he laughed whole heartedly. It took him a while to collect himself, but when he did, I asked "What the fuck is your problem?" with a frown on my face. That sobered him up, and he kissed me slowly, trying to patch up his mistake.

"Nothing. I just never expected to find someone as quirky and perfect as you in Cedar Rapids," he answered honestly. Content with the answer, I nodded, then opened the door. It swung shut behind Edward, and the sorta sweet, smart boy that I had come to know all but disappeared. Instead, the kind look in his green eyes were replaced with a darker, more primal gaze.

I fucking loved it.

The way he looked at me made me shiver, made my panties become soaked. His lips were on mine, his hands on my body, and I backed into my bed, falling onto it. Edward wrapped an arm around my back, holding me close to him. I felt his hard length between my legs, and that did nothing to quell my need.

But I required the O2.

Tugging my head to the side, I took a much needed breath. Edward's lips were all down my neck, kissing, nipping and sucking. A moan escaped my lips at the sensational feeling, egging Edward on. Time sped up.

My shirt flew off.

His shirt flew off.

My shorts were unbuttoned and pulled off my legs.

His pants were kicked off his legs.

Time slowed down. His fingers unclasped the hook of my bra, and tossed it off with the rest of our clothes. Edward cupped my breasts as if they were bags of jewels or something. He brought his lips to my left nipple, circling it with his tongue. The pebbling effect was immediate. He caressed my other breast, then switched. The whole while these weird sounds were falling from my lips. My hands struggled to make their way to his boxers before they were stopped by his own.

"Let me please you first," he growled, and I didn't hesitate to listen. I held up my hands in mock surrender, eliciting a lovely laugh from the both of us. Edward's fingers hooked into the elastic of my panties, and they joined the growing pile of clothes on the floor. His mouth was on mine again, his tongue twining with mine.

Without so much as a warning, two of Edward's fingers plunged inside me. I cried out, half in pleasure half in surprise. "You're so wet," Edward groaned. My head fell back against the pillows, my eyes fluttering closed. As sudden as it may have seemed I felt completely comfortable with Edward. But apart from that, I couldn't form a coherent thought.

A tightening sensation started in the pit of my stomach, and when his tongue circled my clit, I felt the sensation spread, tingling to the tips of my toes, which I had to wiggle. "Edward," I gasped, as my orgasm gripped me.

I hardly noticed his fingers withdrawing, but I did open my eyes in time to see him put the two fingers in his mouth. It was hot. I drew his lips to mine, tasting myself on them. Immediately, the oversensitive sensation ebbed, and I was ready for the big leagues. I tugged Edward's boxers off, and let his erection spring free. I flipped us over, positioning myself over him.

Then I froze.

In the haze, I'd almost forgotten about the whole birth control protection thing. I'd tried the pill, but it just made me depressed. On the brink of tears, I asked "Do you have a condom?" He looked confused for a moment, as if he'd heard of no such thing. I saw realization dawn on him, then he wore the same heartbroken expression as me. "No."

As if that was the end of the night.

"Looks as if we have a bit of an adventure ahead of us," I said with a grin, not letting this minor set back get to me. The light in Edward's eyes returned as he understood the meaning behind my words. I tossed on my shorts and shirt again, foregoing the undergarments, and Edward did the same. "There's got to be a drugstore nearby." Giggling, we darted out of the room, me with a ten and a keycard in hand, and out of the hotel. We wandered around the streets for a few minutes, taking care to remember exactly how to get back to the hotel. We soon found a Duane Reade, and Edward picked out a 3-pack. Still giggling, we paid and almost ran back to the hotel.

Once the door was locked behind us, Edward dragged me back to my bed. "Now, where were we?" He kissed me fiercely, his hands roaming everywhere. Our clothes were off and in no time, were were back in the position we were earlier. I had flipped us so I was on top, but this time, I straddled his legs. I tore open the gold package (of course, Edward's cock was magnificently huge and all) and slid the condom down his length.

My dripping wet center went down next. The stinging sensation was slight, but definitely there. Edward's brow furrowed as his eyes cleared.

"You're a virgin?" he asked. I bit my lip and nodded. "Didn't see that one coming." I laughed.

"I hope you will soon," I replied, winking. Edward grinned, and pulled my face down to meet his. I shifted my hips over his, sort of unsure of what to do. The friction helped with the stinging that ebbed and flowed. I moved upwards slightly, then thrusted my hips forwards, letting Edward deeper inside of me. We moaned in unison. Deep is good.

Edward flipped us over so he could control. Obviously, he was a bit more experienced, but I didn't ask. His thrusts were set and deep, not too fast and not too slow, but just perfect. This was different from what could only be called finger fucking earlier. Our eyes were locked and we spoke without words. What was good, and what was bad. Silent communication as to when we were close, and when we both fell over the edge, the only words were spoken. Each other's names.

After disposing of the condom, Edward just held me in his arms. I was blissfully content as I drifted off to sleep like that.

It was still dark when I awoke to a buzzing sound nearby. My cell phone. I looked over and saw Edward, still fast asleep. He looked younger now, more vulnerable. I brushed back a piece of reddish hair from his forehead, and let my fingers trail down his jaw. A small smile came to his face, and a matching one formed on mine.

I turned away from Edward, checking the text on my phone. Should I brave coming back to the room? Chuckling, I responded Only if you want to get bowled over by the lovely aroma of post coitus. Rosalie took a second to respond. I'll just stay here. Still a virgin, but with an awesome guy at my side. I laughed at that. I could sense the smile in her text. She had really hit it off with Emmett, and they were going to Indiana together. It would work, even with over thirty thousand kids on the campus.

Edward and I on the other hand...

I looked over at him again, and found him looking straight back at me. "Did Rosalie text you?" he asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"Yeah. She's not coming back tonight," I replied, snuggling into his chest. A deep laugh reverberated from Edward's chest.

"Hm, not coming back?"

That night, we used up the box of condoms showing what we felt for each other. We knew that this could be the last time we saw each other, so we wanted to make the best of it.

Pack up.

Check out.

Saying goodbye was a little hard for me. The boys were headed for Chicago for "Taste of Chicago" before they were to return home to Jasper, so we wouldn't see them again. Emmett enveloped me in a huge hug, and Edward kissed me softly on the lips.

"Bye," was all he said, as Rosalie and I packed up our car, and I slid into the driver's seat. I blew a kiss to Edward playfully before pulling out of the lot. Rose and I were silent until we crossed the Illinois border. We were so close to our first destination, but I felt like part of me was missing.

"I got Emmett's number. He says to call him after Welcome Week, and we'll hang out," said Rosalie offhandedly. I balked, realizing I had no contact information for Edward. "Don't worry, Bella. Remember, Edward is Emmett's brother, so I can get anything you want."

With that in mind, we left the sun behind us and traveled east to Bloomington.


End file.
